Capitals' depth being tested

Capitals' depth being testedWith injuries testing the depth of the Washington Capitals' forwards, Mathieu Perreault was recalled from the AHL for Sunday's game vs. Calgary.

WASHINGTON -- The Washington Capitals have been carrying 15 forwards since the trade deadline, but even that won’t be enough Sunday with four guys out because of injury.

Don’t feel too bad for the Capitals -- they have the most talented team in the American Hockey League to add reinforcements from. Mathieu Perreault was recalled and will center Washington’s third line for their Sunday matinee against Calgary at Verizon Center. Brendan Morrison will miss the game after leaving practice early Saturday with a lower-body injury.

"There is a lot of depth," Capitals coach Bruce Booudreau said. "Not only the 26 players that are here, but if you look down there, Hershey has won 55 games already. I mean, the depth is pretty good throughout the organization."

Perreault was one of several Hershey players the Capitals relied on earlier this season when the team did run into injury troubles. He had 2 assists in his season debut Nov. 4 at New Jersey, and through eight games played had 2 goals and 6 points.

He struggled a bit once his promotion became a little more permanent and was eventually returned to the Bears in mid-December. A sixth-round pick in the 2006 draft, Perreault has 15 goals and 45 points in 52 contests for Hershey and has developed into one of top forward prospects in the organization.

"We think Mathieu Perreault was very good for us," Boudreau said. "This was an opportunity to bring him back and give him another chance under an emergency situation and we didn’t hesitate."

Washington’s other missing forwards are on the mend. Brooks Laich (face), Scott Walker (knee) and Boyd Gordon (back) all were on the ice Sunday morning at the team’s practice facility in Arlington, Va. Gordon had been seeking help for his back in Hershey.

Boudreau said Morrison’s injury is not serious.

"It is precautionary," he said. "I'm sure he's not 100 percent, but I'm sure it's not like he has a ripped lower appendage."

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I don't have a crystal ball. Predicting is a real complicated thing. If we stay healthy, have enough depth and get the good goaltending we think we're going to have, you can go all the way. But a lot of things have to happen. There's going to be a lot of teams that think the same thing. Everyone made deals. We're all are optimistic about where we'll end up.

— Rangers general manager Glen Sather after being asked if he's constructed a team that can win the Stanley Cup before their 4-1 win against the Predators on Monday